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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in West Bengal

4,57,274ponds, out of 7,47,480 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 7,47,480 water bodies in West Bengal. 48,536 of them were not in use and 0 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in West Bengal

48,536 of 7,47,480 water bodies (6%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

7,47,480ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
4,57,274of them are ponds (61%)
94%still in use (6,98,944)
0encroached upon
  • Ponds4,57,274
  • Tanks7,585
  • Lakes1,349
  • Reservoirs2,80,585
  • Check dams and percolation tanks610
  • Others77

Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).

Ponds in each district of West Bengal

Districts ranked by number of ponds. The bar shows ponds; the line under each name shows all water bodies and how many are not in use.

  1. 1Haora37,301 water bodies, 21% not in use36,861
  2. 2Paschim Medinipur35,467 water bodies, 10% not in use35,040
  3. 3Birbhum33,968 water bodies, 18% not in use33,692
  4. 4Purba Barddhaman33,181 water bodies, 10% not in use32,493
  5. 5Dakshin Dinajpur30,939 water bodies, 9% not in use30,549
  6. 6Hugli26,894 water bodies, 21% not in use26,590
  7. 7Purba Medinipur25,952 water bodies, 6% not in use24,145
  8. 8Bankura24,846 water bodies, 7% not in use23,746
  9. 9Koch Bihar21,881 water bodies, 3% not in use20,733
  10. 10Puruliya20,867 water bodies, 10% not in use20,395
  11. 11Murshidabad18,674 water bodies, 13% not in use17,932
  12. 12Nadia13,874 water bodies, 19% not in use13,499
  13. 13Malda11,903 water bodies, 7% not in use11,669
  14. 14Uttar Dinajpur10,493 water bodies, 17% not in use10,147
  15. 15Jhargram3,529 water bodies, 11% not in use3,377
  16. 16Kolkatta3,051 water bodies, 30% not in use2,718
  17. 17Paschim Barddhaman1,670 water bodies, 12% not in use1,658
  18. 18Alipurduar1,348 water bodies, 5% not in use1,341
  19. 19Jalpaiguri1,377 water bodies, 21% not in use1,330
  20. 20Darjiling569 water bodies, 21% not in use535
  21. 21Kalimpong49 water bodies, 12% not in use42

Groundwater in West Bengal

Ponds are one way rain gets back into the ground. See how hard West Bengal is pumping its groundwater, district by district.

Groundwater level in West Bengal

Bringing a pond in West Bengal back

Most ponds that are not in use can be revived. The work is the same in a village or a city sector:

Step 1

Survey

Map the pond's full original area, its inlets and its catchment, and record encroachments and sewage outfalls.

Step 2

Desilt

Dig out the silt that has sealed the bed, so water soaks into the ground again instead of evaporating.

Step 3

Reconnect

Clear and line the channels that bring rain in, with a silt trap before the pond; divert sewage away from it.

Step 4

Recharge

Add recharge shafts or wells in the bed where the soil is tight, so water reaches the aquifer faster.

Step 5

Protect

Fence or plant the banks, mark the boundary and hand upkeep to the panchayat or residents' body.

Talk to TerraSetu about a pondPond rejuvenation: cost and processOther ways to recharge

Frequently asked questions

How many ponds are there in West Bengal?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 4,57,274 ponds in West Bengal, out of 7,47,480 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in West Bengal?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 1,349 lakes and 2,80,585 reservoirs in West Bengal, along with 7,585 tanks.

How many water bodies in West Bengal are not in use?

48,536 of the 7,47,480 water bodies (6%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 0 had been encroached upon.

Which district of West Bengal has the most ponds?

Haora, with 36,861 ponds and 37,301 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in West Bengal?

A working pond holds rain long enough for it to soak into the ground and refill wells and borewells nearby. A silted or encroached pond sends that rain down the drain instead. Desilting, reopening inlets and adding recharge shafts in the pond bed are among the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.